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January 8, 2018 | Author: Anonymous | Category: History, Ancient History, Ancient Greece
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Sophocles

Born 496 B.C. and died after 413 B.C. Wrote Antigone in 441 B.C. Lived near Athens--priest, state treasurer and committee advisor for the city Defeated Aeschylus(the reigning playwright) in the City Dionysia Dramatic Festival. Wrote over 120 tragedies with only 7 surviving

Plays consisted of moral lessons cautioning against pride and religious indifference Added a third actor to Aeschylus’ original two Introduced painted sets and stage scenery Expanded the size of the chorus from 12 to 15

Sophocles’ Theban Plays 3 tragedies about King Oedipus and his family Wrote these plays over a 40 year span Antigone —3rd part written 1st and performed in 442 B.C. Oedipus Rex —1st part of the story written 12 years later Oedipus at Colonus —2nd part of the story written the last year of his life

Ancient Greek Plays

Founding Greek Playwrights Thespis transformed hymns into songs telling the story of a hero or god one person would step forward and play the part of the hero or god he is immortalized in our word thespian, referring in actors and actresses

Aeschylus playwright who added a second actor, thus adding the possibility of conflict and creating drama as we know it

Greek drama grew out of ancient religious rituals honoring Dionysus—god of wine and fertility 6th century B.C. —Dionysian celebrations became an annual festival held in Athens 3 playwrights competed for prizes in tragedy and comedy

Plays were presented in 3 days: Tragedies—heroic characters and unhappy endings, with serious treatments of religious and mythic questions Satyrs—comic and even lewd treatments of the same themes as tragedies Comedies—ordinary people with happy endings

3 male actors played all of the characters, and a chorus of 15 men performed the singing and dancing. Actors wore masks hiding the actor’s facial expressions and amplified their voices. Play performances were held in an outdoor amphitheatre where audiences sat on a hillside or on stone benches placed around the stage.

Plays were usually staged during the festival of Dionysus, the god of growth and wine, which took place at planting time in March. Crowds of 15,000 people regularly attended the performances, and even criminals were released from prison in order to see the plays. Attendance at these dramas was perceived to be a civic duty, in part because the plays often addressed important social and political issues.

Audience Seating

Stage where the actors performed Side stage where the chorus danced from left to right Stage for the scenery

Theatron The seating for the audience of the Greek theater.

Skene A long building serving as the dressing room and backdrop for the action.

Orchestra The stage of the Greek theater.

Tragedy Aristotle, the Greek philosopher, was the first to define tragedy: Arouses pity and fear in the audience so that they may be purged, or cleansed, of these unsettling emotions

Catharsis Emotional purging A strangely pleasurable sense of emotional release we experience after watching a great tragedy For some reason, we usually feel exhilarated, not depressed, after a tragedy

According to Aristotle, we can only feel pity and fear after a tragedy if there is a tragic hero or heroine.

Tragic Hero/Heroine Born into nobility Have a potential for greatness Responsible for their own fate Doomed to make a serious error in judgment Tragic flaw (hamartia) leads to downfall Too much pride (hubris) often leads to downfall

The Hero’s Tragic Flaw Downfall is caused by tragic flaw — a fundamental character weakness, such as pride, ambition, or jealousy Hero comes to recognize his or her own error and to accept his or her tragic consequences The real hero does not curse fate or the gods but is humbled and enlightened by the tragedy

The Audience Feels the hero’s punishment exceeds the crime, that the hero gets more than he or she deserves Feels pity because the hero is a suffering human being who is flawed like them Feels fear because the hero is better than they are, and still he or she fails. What hope can there be for them?

The Greek Afterlife and Burial Rites

Every human being went to an underworld called Hades after death One’s reputation followed one there; if one lived less than honorably on Earth, the dead would know of the person’s dishonor for eternity. In Hades, spirits were free to move around and could enjoy the company of other deceased relatives.

The dead were dressed in white and then buried with offerings of food and personal possessions. If funeral rites were not performed, the spirit of the dead person hovered at the gates of Hades, but was not allowed in.

Terminology

Dramatic Structure - Tragedy INCITING INCIDENT—SOMETHING HAPPENS TO BEGIN THE ACTION OF THE PLAY EXPOSITION—BACKGROUND INFORMATION RISING ACTION—STORY BUILDS AND GETS MORE EXCITING COMPLICATION—SIGNALS THE BEGINNING OF THE MAIN CONFLICT CLIMAX—MOMENT OF GREATEST TENSION

REVERSAL—CHANGE OF THE HERO’S STATE OF AFFAIRS FALLING ACTION—THE FALLOUT RESULTING FROM THE REVERSAL OF FORTUNES CATASTROPHE—EVENT THAT OCCURS IN WHICH THE PROTAGONIST IS WORSE OFF THAN THE BEGINNING OF THE PLAY MOMENT OF LAST SUSPENSE—THE FINAL OUTCOME OF THE CONFLICT IS IN DOUBT

Chorus A group of twelve to fifteen men who commented on the play’s action and themes. They wore large masks and elegant robes in order to add to the magnificence of the play. Between scenes they sang and danced to the music of the orchestra. Typically, the chorus communicated the values and beliefs central to Athenian society.

Choragus The leader of the chorus—often participated in the dialogue of the play.

Prologue An opening to a story that establishes the setting and gives background details

Parodos The first entrance of the chorus into the orchestra and the choral ode that they sing and dance as they enter (which is usually the first choral song of the drama). The parodos usually follows the play's prologue.

Ode A song chanted by the chorus

Paean A hymn that is an appeal to the gods for assistance.

Exodos The last episode in the play. It is followed by a final speech made by the choragus and addressed directly to the audience.

The Curse

Oedipus and his family -cursed by the gods because they try to escape fate Oedipus’ parents -- attempt to control destiny by getting rid of their son, Oedipus Oedipus -- tries to control his own destiny by leaving Corinth to escape his fate

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